News
Find our insights, advice and analysis on developments in family law, divorce and the legal issues that affect your everyday life.
Children witnessing domestic violence: the invisible victims
Your child has never been hit. Yet they have seen everything, heard everything, absorbed everything. Under Belgian law, this child is not merely a witness...
Surrogacy in Belgium (GPA): the legal framework in 2026
Surrogacy in Belgium remains unregulated in 2026. Ms Van den Bossche, a family lawyer in Brussels, explains the legal framework...
International divorce for expatriates in Belgium: a complete legal guide (2026)
Are you an expatriate getting divorced in Belgium? Complete guide by an international family law lawyer with 29 years of experience:...
Fault-based divorce has disappeared
Fault-based divorce has disappeared from our legal system. Marital misconduct is no longer considered grounds for divorce and can only...
Judicial mediation: a way to overcome court congestion?
Faced with judicial backlogs, magistrates, increasingly overwhelmed, struggle to deal with the growing number of cases, particularly in family law...
Justice on hold: are lawyers to blame?
Faced with a justice system under pressure, lawyers specialising in family law are often blamed for delays. But how can they...
Adopting your spouse's child: understanding the issues and the process
Adopting your spouse's child is a major step for a family, both emotionally and legally. This...
Family without the couple: is it still possible? 3 practical exercises
As a family law specialist and parent myself, I often ask this question...
Birdnesting: "I'm divorced and I live in my own home every other week!"
Birdnesting, or "nest custody", is a child residence arrangement after divorce that is becoming increasingly...
Are you 20, 30, 40 or older and your parents are getting divorced?
An emotional upheaval. Your parents' divorce is never an easy experience, even when you are an adult and over 20...
The main causes of divorce in Belgium
Introduction. Divorce is a major turning point in the life of a couple and can result from many different causes. In Belgium, the rate of...
How can children be freed from a loyalty conflict?
Understanding parental alienation syndrome. When a parent manipulates their child against the other parent, it can lead to a conflict between...
5 tips for choosing the right parenting coach: how to find the best support
Define your goals and identify your needs. Before choosing a parenting coach, it is important to clearly determine your objectives and your...
"The Magic Forest Exercise" for anxious children
Here is a practical exercise for parents with anxious children based on a systemic approach...
Life insurance: designation of the beneficiary
Article 174 of the Insurance Act provides that, where heirs are designated as beneficiaries without further specification...
Family property law: conversion of the surviving spouse's usufruct
The Act of 22 May 2014 amended the Civil Code with a view to allowing the conversion of the surviving spouse's usufruct in cases of cohabitation...
Transmission of the family name to a child: Constitutional Court judgment of 14.01.2016
The Act of 8 May 2014 amended the Civil Code regarding the transmission of the family name...
Transgender persons: draft law facilitating legal gender recognition
The government drafted and adopted a preliminary bill reforming the Act of 2007 on the legal recognition of transgender persons. The...
Combating fraudulent recognition of children
The government has decided to combat the phenomenon of "sham acknowledgements". The Council of...
Belgium ratifies the revised European Convention on the Adoption of Children
On 7 May 2015, Belgium ratified the revised European Convention on the Adoption of Children. This Convention...
The Constitutional Court judgment of 3 February 2016 in the Delphine Boël case
Only the internet remembers everything and ignores impossible deadlines under the Constitutional Court's strict time limits, pursuing the affirmation of...
European Regulation 650/2012: major changes to international succession practice in Belgium
Regulation 650/2012 has significant consequences. Five of the twenty-eight Member States, including Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, have chosen to...
Child custody: Royal Decree of 26 December 2015
Royal Decree of 26 December 2015 allowing the registration of information relating to the child's residence arrangements...
Act of 19.03.2010 promoting an objective calculation of child support contributions by parents
Until recently, calculating child support contributions owed by one parent for the maintenance of their children was often...
Act of 13.08.2011 reforming judicial liquidation and partition proceedings
This Act was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 14 September 2011 and entered into force on 1 April 2012. The judicial liquidation and partition procedure...
Bill of 20.07.2011 establishing the Family and Juvenile Court
The Act of 30 July 2013 establishing the Family and Juvenile Court was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 27 September 2013. Composition of...